LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE AND ARTICLE
A device comprising a light transmissive element, a nano-wire light-emitting device, and a light transmissive controller communicating with the nano-wire light-emitting device. The nano-wire light-emitting device, and the light transmissive controller, are supported by the light transmissive element. An article includes two or more of the devices.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/733,901, entitled “LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE AND ARTICLE”, filed on Apr. 11, 2007.
BACKGROUND1. Technical Field
The invention includes embodiments that relate to a device. The invention includes embodiments that relate to an article. Embodiments of the device and article may emit light.
2. Discussion of Art
An organic light-emitting device (OLED) may be used for flat panel backlight or for illumination. Some devices or models have a fixed color. The color may be an intrinsic color that is emitted by the OLED. Such a color conversion technique may include stacking red, green, and/or blue light-emitting devices, or by using a photoluminescent layer.
For interior/exterior decorations and signage, it may be desirable to obtain a desired color output. It may be desirable to have a device with differing characteristics or properties than those devices that are currently available.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONA device is provided in one embodiment of the invention. The device includes at least one light transmissive element, at least one nano-wire light-emitting device, and at least one light transmissive controller. The nano-wire light-emitting device, the light transmissive controller, and the light transmissive element are secured to each other.
Like numbers represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
The invention includes embodiments that relate to a device for use as a light source. The invention includes embodiments that relate to an article incorporating the device.
The singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about” is not limited to the precise value specified. In some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. Similarly, “free” may be used in combination with a term, and may include an insubstantial number, or trace amounts, while still being considered free of the modified term.
As used herein, the term “nano-wire” refers to an inorganic semiconducting wire having diameter or cross-section of less than 1 micrometer, and length of mor than a few micrometers. As used herein, the term “nano-wire light-emitting device” nano-LED refers to a light-emitting device including one nanowire p-n or p-i-n diode or multiple p-n or p-i-n diodes wherein the nanowire device emits light. As used herein, the term “secured to” or “disposed over” or “deposited over” or “disposed between” refers to both secured or disposed directly in contact with and indirectly by having intervening layers therebetween. “Operably coupled” is a relationship between listed parts that provides a stated function. Without further qualifiers, “light transmissive” means that greater than about 50 percent of light of at least one frequency in the visible wavelength range transmits through a material of a given thickness. The visible wavelength range is about 400 nanometers to about 700 nanometers. Some materials transmit more or less light based on the wavelength of the light. That is, a material that is light transmissive at one frequency may be more or less transmissive at another wavelength.
The term “alkyl” as used in the various embodiments of the invention is intended to designate linear alkyl, branched alkyl, aralkyl, cycloalkyl, bicycloalkyl, tricycloalkyl and polycycloalkyl radicals comprising carbon and hydrogen atoms. Alkyl groups may be saturated or unsaturated, and may comprise, for example, vinyl or allyl. The term “alkyl” also encompasses that alkyl portion of alkoxide groups. In various embodiments, normal and branched alkyl radicals are those containing from 1 to about 32 carbon atoms, and include as illustrative non-limiting examples C1-C32 alkyl (optionally substituted with one or more groups selected from C1-C32 alkyl, C3-C15 cycloalkyl or aryl); and C3-C15 cycloalkyl optionally substituted with one or more groups selected from C1-C32 alkyl or aryl. Examples include methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, tertiary-butyl, pentyl, neopentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, undecyl and dodecyl. Some illustrative non-limiting examples of cycloalkyl and bicycloalkyl radicals include cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, methylcyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, bicycloheptyl and adamantyl. In various embodiments, aralkyl radicals include those containing from 7 to about 14 carbon atoms; these include benzyl, phenylbutyl, phenylpropyl, and phenylethyl.
The term “aryl” as used in embodiments of the invention designates substituted or unsubstituted aryl radicals comprising from 6 to 20 ring carbon atoms. Some examples of aryl radicals include C6-C20 aryl optionally substituted with one or more groups selected from C1-C32 alkyl, C3-C15 cycloalkyl, aryl, and functional groups including atoms selected from Groups 15, 16 and 17 of the Periodic Table. Examples of aryl radicals include substituted or unsubstituted phenyl, biphenyl, tolyl, xylyl, naphthyl, and bi-napthyl.
In one embodiment, the device may include at least one light transmissive element. Each of a plurality of light transmissive organic electronic devices secure to the single light transmissive element. At least one light transmissive controller is secured to the light transmissive element. The light transmissive controller connects to at least two light transmissive organic electronic devices. The device may be used in applications where see through/transparent articles are required, such as for example, multilayer information display or signage, head-up display or signage, and illumination devices.
The light transmissive element may be formed from a light transmissive material. The light transmissive material can be clear in one embodiment. In another embodiment, the light transmissive material can have a color, tint, or optical effect inducing quality (such as opalescence or polarization). In one embodiment, without regard for wavelength or thickness, the amount of light transmitted through the light transmissive element is in a range of from about 60 percent to about 70 percent, from about 70 percent to about 80 percent, or from about 80 percent to about 90 percent of the light. In one embodiment, without regard for percent transmission or thickness, the transmitted light may have a wavelength in a range of from about 400 nanometers to about 500 nanometers, from about 500 nanometers to about 600 nanometers, or from about 600 nanometers to about 700 nanometers. In one embodiment, more than about 50 percent of the light at wavelength of about 550 nanometers is transmitted through the light transmissive element without regard for the thickness. The above-discussed embodiments on the amount and the wavelength of transmitted light hold true for the light transmissive organic electronic devices, the light transmissive controller, the resultant device and the article made therefrom. Thickness of various embodiments are disclosed hereinbelow.
Suitable light transmissive elements may include a transparent substrate. The substrate may be chosen from a group of rigid substrates and flexible substrates. The rigid substrates include but are not limited to glass, metal and plastic; and the flexible substrates include flexible glass, metal foil, and plastic films. Non-limiting examples of glass may include quartz glass and borosilicate glass. Non-limiting examples of plastic may include organic polymers. Suitable organic polymers may include thermoplastic polymers chosen from polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyethersulfone, polycarbonate, polyimide, polyacrylate, polyolefin, and the like. The light transmissive element forms a part of the device and may also be a separate substrate layer relative to the light transmissive organic electronic devices.
In one embodiment, the light transmissive organic electronic device may include an organic light-emitting device (OLED). In one embodiment, the OLED comprises a first electrode anode and a second electrode cathode. An electroluminiscent layer is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode and second electrode are operably coupled to at least one tunable voltage source.
Suitable anodes may include a material having a high work function; e.g., greater than about 4.0 electron volts. In one embodiment, the anode material work function may be in a range of from about 5 electron volts to about 6 electron volts, or from about 6 electron volts to about 7 electron volts. Transparent metal oxides, such as indium tin oxide “ITO”, may be used for this purpose. ITO is light transmissive and allows light emitted from the organic emissive layer to escape through the ITO anode without being seriously attenuated. Other materials suitable for use as the anode are tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, indium zinc oxide, zinc indium tin oxide, antimony oxide, and mixtures thereof. The thickness of an anode including such an electrically conducting oxide may be greater than about 10 nanometers. In one embodiment, the thickness may be in the range of from about 10 nanometers to about 50 nanometers, from about 50 nanometers to about 100 nanometers, or from about 100 nanometers to about 200 nanometers.
In one embodiment, a thin transparent layer of a metal is suitable for the anode. A transparent metal layer may have a thickness of less than or equal to about 50 nanometers. In one embodiment, the metal thickness may be in a range of from about 50 nanometers to about 20 nanometers. Suitable metals for the anode may include, for example, silver, copper, tungsten, nickel, cobalt, iron, selenium, germanium, gold, platinum, aluminum, or mixtures thereof or alloys thereof. The anode may be deposited on the underlying element by a technique such as physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or sputtering.
The cathode injects negative charge carriers electrons into the organic emissive layer and may be made of a material having a low work function; for example, less than about 4 electron volts. Not every material suitable for use as the cathode need have a low work function. Materials suitable for use as the cathode may include K, Li, Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Al, Ag, In, Sn, Zn, Zr, Sc, and Y. Other suitable materials may include elements of the lanthanide series, alloys thereof, or mixtures thereof. Examples of suitable alloy materials for the manufacture of cathode layer may include Ag—Mg, Al—Li, In—Mg, and Al—Ca alloys. Layered non-alloy structures may be used. Such layered non-alloy structures may include a thin layer of a metal such as Ca having a thickness in a range of from about 1 nanometer to about 50 nanometers. Other such layered non-alloy structures may include a non-metal such as LiF, KF, or NaF, over-capped by a thicker layer of some other metal. A suitable other metal may include aluminum or silver. The cathode may be deposited on the underlying layer by, for example, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or sputtering.
Suitable OLEDs may include an electroluminescent layer, which may be referred to as an organic emissive layer or as a light-emitting layer. Electroluminiscent (EL) materials refer to organic fluorescent and/or phosphorescent materials. Electroluminiscent materials emit light when subjected to an applied voltage bias. Electroluminiscent materials may be tailored to emit light in a determined wavelength range. In one embodiment, the thickness of the electroluminiscent layer may be greater than about 40 nanometers. In one embodiment, the thickness may be less than about 300 nanometers. The electroluminiscent material may be a polymer, a copolymer, or a mixture of polymers. Suitable electroluminescent materials may include poly N-vinylcarbazole (PVK) and its derivatives; polyfluorene and its derivatives, such as polyalkylfluorene, for example poly-9,9-dihexylfluorene, polydioctylfluorene, or poly-9,9-bis-3,6-dioxaheptyl-fluorene-2,7-diyl; poly para-phenylene and its derivatives, such as poly-2-decyloxy-1,4-phenylene or poly-2,5-diheptyl-1,4-phenylene; polyp-phenylene vinylene and its derivatives, such as dialkoxy-substituted PPV and cyano-substituted PPV; polythiophene and its derivatives, such as poly-3-alkylthiophene, poly-4,4′-dialkyl-2,2′-bithiophene, poly-2,5-thienylene vinylene; polypyridine vinylene and its derivatives; polyquinoxaline and its derivatives; and polyquinoline and its derivatives. In one embodiment, a suitable electroluminescent material is poly-9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl end capped with N,N-bis 4-methylphenyl-4-aniline. Mixtures of these polymers or copolymers based on one or more of these polymers may be used.
Other suitable materials that may be used as electroluminescent materials are polysilanes. Polysilanes are linear polymers having a silicon-backbone substituted with an alkyl and/or aryl side groups. Polysilanes are quasi one-dimensional materials with delocalized sigma-conjugated electrons along polymer backbone chains. Examples of polysilanes include poly di-n-butylsilane, poly di-n-pentylsilane, poly di-n-hexylsilane, polymethyl phenylsilane, and poly bis p-butyl phenylsilane.
In one embodiment, organic materials having molecular weight less than about 5000, including aromatic units, may be used as electroluminiscent materials. An example of such materials is 1,3,5-tris N-4-diphenyl amino phenyl phenyl amino benzene, which emits light in the wavelength range of from about 380 nanometers to about 500 nanometers. These electroluminiscent layer organic materials may be prepared from organic molecules such as phenylanthracene, tetraarylethene, coumarin, rubrene, tetraphenylbutadiene, anthracene, perylene, coronene, or their derivatives. These materials may emit light having a maximum wavelength of about 520 nanometers. Still other suitable materials are the low molecular-weight metal organic complexes such as aluminum-acetylacetonate, gallium-acetylacetonate, and indium-acetylacetonate, which emit light in the wavelength range of about 415 nanometers to about 457 nanometers, aluminum picolymethylketone bis-2,6-dibutylphenoxide or scandium-4-methoxy picolyl methyl ketone-bis acetyl acetonate, which emit light having a wavelength in a range of from about 420 nanometers to about 433 nanometers. Other suitable electroluminiscent materials that emit in the visible wavelength range may include organo-metallic complexes of 8-hydroxyquinoline, such as tris-8-quinolinolato aluminum and its derivatives.
The OLED may further include one or more layers such as a charge transport layer, a hole transport layer, a hole injection layer, a hole injection enhancement layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer and an electron injection enhancement layer or any combinations thereof. The OLED may further include a light transmissive substrate layer.
Non-limiting examples of materials suitable for use as charge transport layers may include low-to-intermediate molecular weight organic polymers for example, organic polymers having weight average molecular weights Mw of less than about 200,000 grams per mole as determined using polystyrene standards for example, poly-3,4-ethylene dioxy thiophene (PEDOT), polyaniline, poly-3,4-propylene dioxythiophene (PProDOT), polystyrene sulfonate (PSS), polyvinyl carbazole (PVK), and other like materials.
Non-limiting examples of materials suitable for the hole transport layer may include triaryldiamines, tetraphenyldiamines, aromatic tertiary amines, hydrazone derivatives, carbazole derivatives, triazole derivatives, imidazole derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives including an amino group, polythiophenes, and like materials. Non-limiting examples of materials suitable for a hole-blocking layer may include poly N-vinyl carbazole, and like materials.
Non-limiting examples of materials suitable for a hole-injection layers may include “p-doped” proton-doped conducting polymers, such as proton-doped polythiophene or polyaniline, and p-doped organic semiconductors, such as tetrafluorotetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCQN), doped organic and polymeric semiconductors, and triarylamine-containing compounds and polymers. Non-limiting examples of electron-injection materials may include polyfluorene and its derivatives, aluminum tris-8-hydroxyquinoline (Alq3), organic/polymeric semiconductors n-doped with alkali alkaline earth metals, and the like.
Non-limiting examples of materials suitable for a hole injection enhancement layer may include arylene-based compounds such as 3,4,9,10-perylene tetra-carboxylic dianhydride, bis-1,2,5-thiadiazolo-p-quino bis-1,3-dithiole, and like materials.
Non-limiting examples of materials suitable for the electron injection enhancement layer materials and electron transport layer materials may include metal organic complexes such as oxadiazole derivatives, perylene derivatives, pyridine derivatives, pyrimidine derivatives, quinoline derivatives, quinoxaline derivatives, diphenylquinone derivatives, nitro-substituted fluorene derivatives, and like materials.
In one embodiment, the light transmissive controller may include a transparent thin film transistor. A thin film transistor TFT is an active device, which is the building block for electronic circuits that switch and amplify electronic signals. Attractive TFT device characteristics include a low voltage to turn it on, a high transconductance or device current to gate control-voltage ratio Vg, and a high ‘on’ Vg greater than 0 current to ‘off’ Vg less than or equal to 0 current ratio. The TFT may be fabricated in such a manner that materials used in the different elements of the TFT, such as a source electrode, a drain electrode, a gate electrode, a gate dielectric and a substrate, should result in a transparent TFT.
The substrate can be used as a support during the manufacturing, testing, and/or use of the TFTs. The substrate used is similar to the light transmissive element as discussed above. Depending on the method of making the transistor, the substrate may be an optional element. In one embodiment, the support does not provide any necessary electrical function for the TFT and hence functions as an insulator. Suitable substrate materials may include organic or inorganic materials and may be rigid or flexible. Non-limiting examples of substrates include inorganic glasses, ceramic foils, polymeric materials, filled polymeric materials, coated metallic foils, acrylics, epoxies, polyamides, polycarbonates, polyimides, polyketones, polyoxy-1,4-phenyleneoxy-1,4-phenylenecarbonyl-1,4-phenylene sometimes referred to as polyether ether ketone or (PEEK), polynorbornenes, polyphenyleneoxides, polyethylene naphthalenedicarboxylate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyether sulfone (PES), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), and fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP). In one embodiment the substrates may be flexible. Flexible substrates can also be thin metal foils such as stainless steel provided they are coated with an insulating layer to electrically isolate the thin film transistor.
A variety of conductive materials known in the art may be used as the gate electrode. Suitable conductive materials include doped silicon, or a metal, such as aluminum, chromium, gold, silver, nickel, copper, tungsten, palladium, platinum, tantalum, and titanium, transparent conductors such as indium-tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide, tin II oxide, or lanthanum III dioxide; conductive polymers such as polyaniline, poly 3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene and polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). In addition, alloys, combinations, and multilayers of these materials may be useful. In some embodiments, the same material can provide the gate electrode function and also provide the support function of the substrate. For example, doped silicon can function as the gate electrode and the substrate for TFT. In one embodiment, the thickness of the gate electrode may be such that the gate electrode does not hinder or reduce the efficiency of light transmitted through the device.
In a TFT, the gate dielectric contacts the gate electrode. This gate dielectric electrically insulates the gate electrode from the balance of the TFT device. Thus, the gate dielectric includes an electrically insulating material. The gate dielectric should have a suitable dielectric constant that can vary widely depending on the particular device and circumstance of use. For example, a dielectric constant of from about 2 to about 100 may be available as a gate dielectric. Suitable materials that may be used for the gate dielectric may include one or more strontiates, tantalates, titanates, zirconates, aluminum oxides, silicon oxides, tantalumoxides, titanium oxides, silicon nitrides, barium titanate, barium strontium titanate, barium zirconate titanate, zinc selenide, or zinc sulfide. In addition, alloys, combinations, and multilayers of the foregoing; polymeric materials such as polyimides, polyvinyl alcohol, poly-4-vinylphenol, polyimide, and polyvinylidene fluoride, polystyrene and substituted derivatives thereof, polyvinyl naphthalene and substituted derivatives, and polymethyl methacrylate. In one embodiment, the thickness of the gate dielectric is such that the gate dielectric does not hinder or reduce the efficiency of light transmitted through the device.
Source/drain electrodes refer to the terminals of a TFT, between which conduction occurs under the influence of an electric field. The source electrode and drain electrode are separated from the gate electrode by at least the gate dielectric, while the conducting channel can be over or under the source electrode and drain electrode. The source and drain electrodes can be any useful conductive material. Suitable materials include most of those materials described above for the gate electrode, for example, aluminum, barium, calcium, chromium, gold, silver, nickel, palladium, platinum, titanium, copper, tungsten, polyaniline, conducting polymers, alloys thereof, combinations thereof, multilayers thereof; transparent, n-type conductors such as indium-tin oxide (ITO), oxides of zinc, tin and lanthanum. In one embodiment, the thickness of the source/drain electrodes may be such that the source/drain electrodes do not hinder or reduce the efficiency of light transmitted through the device.
In one embodiment, the material employed in the conducting channel of the thin film transistor may be a zinc oxide-based semiconductor thin film transistor employing zinc-oxide-based nanoparticles. In one embodiment, the zinc-oxide-based semiconductor materials are “n-type,” although, through the use of suitable dopants, p-type materials are also envisioned. The zinc-oxide-based semiconductor material can contain other metals capable of forming semiconducting oxides such as indium, tin, or cadmium, and combinations thereof. Minor amounts of acceptor dopants can also be included. Semiconductor films described above are capable of exhibiting, in the film form, excellent field-effect electron mobility of greater than 0.01 square centimeter/Volts-Second and on-off ratios of greater than 104, enabling their use in a variety of relevant technologies, including active matrix display backplanes.
Other suitable materials having specific thickness that may be employed in the conducting channel of the thin film transistor. Suitable materials may include metals like Al, Ag, Au, Ba, Ca, In, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Pb, Sr, Sn, Sc, Y, Zn, and Zr. Other suitable materials may include elements of the lanthanide series. Suitable relatively low work function value alloys may include Ag—Mg alloy, Al—Li alloy, In—Mg alloy, Al—Ca alloy, Li—Al alloy, and Ca—Ga alloy. These low work function value cathode materials may be present in the metallic form or as a n-type dopant dispersed in an organic matrix. Other examples may include alkali metal fluorides or alkaline earth fluorides. Other suitable materials may include metal oxides, such as indium-tin oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, indium-zinc oxide, zinc indium-tin oxide, and transition metal oxides such as vanadium oxide (V2O5), molybdenum oxide (Mo2O3), and antimony oxide (Sb2O3). In one embodiment, an organic suitable cathode may be fashioned from carbon nanotubes. The cathode can be made of multiple layers to enhance electron injection. Non-limiting examples of multi-layer cathodes may include an inner layer of either LiF or NaF with an outer layer of aluminum or silver; and an inner layer of calcium with by an outer layer of aluminum or silver. In one embodiment, the thickness of the conducting channel may such that the conducting channel does not hinder or reduce the efficiency of light transmitted through the device.
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Various arrangements may be possible for the different elements included in
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A device is provided in one embodiment of the invention. The device includes a light transmissive element, a color-tunable light-emitting device, and a light transmissive controller. The color-tunable light-emitting device, the light transmissive controller, and the light transmissive element are secured to each other.
In one embodiment, the color-tunable light-emitting device may include a first light-emitting element, a second light-emitting element, an active light transformative element and at least one light transmissive element, wherein the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element emit light at differing wavelengths. In one embodiment, the color-tunable light-emitting device may include at least one passive light transformative element. In one embodiment, color-tunable light-emitting device may be a light transmissive device.
The first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element may include an OLED. The OLED used may be the same as or similar to those described above. The active light transformative element may include at least one element chosen from the group of electrochromic elements, photochromic elements, and thermochromic elements. The active light transformative element may be disposed between the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element. In certain embodiments, a combination of the electrochromic element and/or photochromic element and/or thermochromic element may be used in color-tunable light-emitting device to modulate the light emitted from the device. The transmission of the electrochromic element can be varied by varying an applied bias. The perceived color of the light emerging from the device is thus a combination of the light emerging directly from the color-tunable light-emitting device and the light modulated by the electrochromic element. In one embodiment the electrochromic element can be replaced with a photochromic element. When a photochromic element is used, the photochromic element can be tuned by coupling with a light tunable source. In one embodiment, the electrochromic element can be replaced with a thermochromic element. When a thermochromic element is used the thermochromic element can be tuned by coupling with a temperature tunable source.
As used herein, electrochromic elements, photochromic elements, and thermochromic elements present in various embodiments of the color-tunable light-emitting devices are defined to be “active” light transformative elements and are distinct from passive light transformative elements such as phosphors and color filters. Active light transformative elements modulate light passing through them in response to and as a function of an applied bias. In the case of electrochromic elements, the bias results from the application of a voltage differential within the electrochromic element. In the case of photochromic elements, the bias can result from the irradiation of the photochromic element with a source of light, i.e., by using an external tunable light source. In the case of a thermochromic element, the bias can result from the application of heat to, or the removal of heat from the thermochromic element. This may be accomplished by using a temperature tunable source for the thermochromic element. In each case the bias may be applied to a lesser or greater extent so that the color emerging from the active light transformative element is tunable thereby. Applying bias to a lesser or greater extent is tuning.
In one embodiment, the light emerging from the color-tunable light-emitting device may be modulated by the application of a determined bias, for example a specific voltage differential applied to an electrochromic element within a color-tunable light-emitting device. In other instances, the bias is provided by the environment. For example, in the case of a photochromic element, the color emerging from a color-tunable light-emitting device may be modulated by intentional changes in the level of ambient light or by an unintended change in the level of ambient light. An example of an intended change in the level of ambient light that may be given is the change in the level of ambient light that occurs as a theater or aircraft cabin is intentionally darkened. An example of an unintended change in the level of ambient light that may be given is the change in the level of ambient light that occurs as a dark cloud obscures the sun, or for that matter the change in the level of ambient light occasioned by the setting of the sun, a change anticipated though not necessarily intended. Similarly, in case of the thermochromic element, the change in color can be a result of an intentional change in temperature or may be a response to an unintended change in temperature. Such color-tunable light-emitting devices may be used as a temperature indicator, signaling by a change in color whether something in thermal contact with the thermochromic element of the color-tunable light-emitting device is cold, warm, or hot.
Examples of suitable electrochromic elements may include inorganic metal oxides, most transition metal oxides (e.g., WO3, V2O5, and the like), electroconductive polymers, and the like. Suitable electroconductive polymers may include unsubstituted and substituted polyaniline, polythiophene and polypyrrole. Examples of suitable electrode materials for use in the electrochromic elements are transparent metal oxides, such as ITO, fluorine doped SnO2, and the like; semi-transparent thin metals such as gold; and conducting polymers, such as poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene/polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT/PSS), and like materials. In one embodiment, ion conductors and electrolytes may be employed as components of the electrochromic element in the color-tunable light-emitting device. Examples of suitable ion conductors and electrolytes include liquid electrolyte solutions, such as lithium perchlorate in propylene carbonate, and ionic liquids; gel electrolytes including a polymeric material e.g., polyvinyl butyral, polyethylene oxide, polymethyl methacrylate, and polyethylene glycol, a lithium salt, and a solvent, and solid polymeric electrolytes. Suitable lithium salts may include LiClO4, LiCF3SO3, LiCl, and LiPF6. Suitable solvents may include one or more of propylene carbonate, acetonitrile, ethylene carbonate, and the like. Suitable solid polymeric electrolytes may include cured or crosslinked polyacrylates, polyurethanes, and the like.
Electrochromic elements 54 are at times herein referred to as electrochromic devices, “ECDs”. Exemplary ECDs 56 and 58 are shown in
In one embodiment, ITO is used as the bottom transparent electrode, onto which a first organic electrochromic material such as polythiophene and its derivatives, an ion conductor layer such as an electrolyte, a second complementary electrochromic material, such as polyaniline, and another transparent top electrode for example a thin metal layer, an ITO layer, or like material are sequentially deposited. Alternatively, the device assembly can be fabricated by lamination. Lamination may include forming the device assembly by laminating a first component including a substrate, a first transparent conductor for example an ITO layer, an F doped SnO2 layer, or like material, a first polymeric electrochromic material, a preformed sheet of electrolyte dispersed in a polymer matrix, and a second component including a second electrochromic material, an inorganic ion-storage layer, and a substrate. The change in color and/or transmittance may be controlled by the choice of electrochromic material employed
Inorganic-organic hybrid ECD device assembly can be formed by joining a first component including substrate, a first transparent electrode for example an ITO layer, an F doped SnO2 layer, or like material, a polymeric electrochromic material for example polythiophene, and a gel electrolyte for example lithium triflate dispersed in a polymer matrix, with a second component including an inorganic ion-storage layer such as TiO2, a second transparent electrode, and a substrate. The change in color and/or transmittance may be controlled by the choice of the electrochromic material employed.
Suitable photochromic materials include asymmetric photochromic compounds. A photochromic protein may be employed as a photochromic element in the color-tunable light-emitting device. Pyran derivatives may be used as photochromic material in the photochromic element. Suitable pyran derivatives may include 3,4-diphenylaminophenyl-1-3-2-fluorophenyl-3H-naphtho(2,1-b)pyran; 3,4-dimethyl aminophenyl-3,2-fluorophenyl-3H-naphtho(2,1-b)pyran; 3,2-fluorophenyl-3-(4-N-morpholinylphenyl)-3H-naphtho(2,1-b)pyran; 3,2-fluorophenyl-3-(4-N-piperidinylphenyl)-3H-naphtho(2,1-b)pyran; 3-4-dimethyl aminophenyl-6-N-morpholinyl-3-phenyl-3H-naphtho(2,1-b)pyran; 6-N-morpholinyl-3-(4-N-morpholinylphenyl)-3-phenyl-3H-naphtho(2,1-b)pyran; 6-N-morpholinyl-3-phenyl-3-(4-N-piperidinyl phenyl)-3H-naphtho(2,1-b)pyran; and 6-N-morpholinyl-3-phenyl-3-(4-N-pyrrolidinylphenyl)-3H-naphtho(2,1-b)pyran; and mixtures of two or more of the foregoing. Other suitable photochromic materials may include photochromic indeno(2,1-f)naphtho(1,2-b)pyrans and spiro-9-fluoreno(1,2-b)pyrans. In one embodiment, the photochromic element includes a cured photochromic polymerizable composition.
In one embodiment, photochromic 2H-naphtha(1,2-b)pyran compounds that impart grey color may be used in preparing the photochromic element. In an alternate embodiment, one or more spiropyran salt compounds may serve as a component of the photochromic element. Other classes of compounds which may serve as a component of the photochromic elements are exemplified by azobenzene compounds, thioindigo compounds, dithizone metal complexes, spiropyran compounds, spirooxazine compounds, fulgide compounds, dihydropyrene compounds, spirothiopyran compounds, 1,4-2H-oxazine compounds, triphenylmethane compounds, viologen compounds, naphthopyran compounds, and benzopyran compounds.
In one embodiment, the photochromic material is used without additional adjuvants. In an alternate embodiment, the color changing function and/or the fastness to light may be enhanced by combining the photochromic material with an adjuvant also referred to herein as an auxiliary agent such as one or more high-boiling solvents, plasticizers, synthetic resins, hindered amines, hindered phenols, and the like. These compounds are well known additives for use in combination with photochromic materials and their proportions can be selected from the known ranges. Suitable examples of hindered phenol compounds include, among others, 2,6-di-t-butylphenol, 2,4,6-tri-t-butylphenol, 2,6-di-t-butyl-p-cresol, 4-hydroxymethyl-2,6-di-t-butylphenol, 2,5-di-t-butylhydroquinone, 2,2′-methylene-4-ethyl-6-t-butylphenol, and 4,4′-butylidene-bis3-methyl-6-t-butylphenol. Suitable examples of the hindered amine compounds include, among others, bis-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinylsebacate; bis-1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidinylsebacate; the polycondensate of dimethylsuccinate and 1-2-hydroxyethyl-4-hydroxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidine; bis-1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidinyl-2,3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl-2-n-butylmalonate; 1-(2-3-3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyl phenyl propionyloxy ethyl)-4-3-3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyl phenylpropionyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidine; 8-benzyl-7,7,9,9-tetramethyl-3-octyl-1,3,8-triazaspiro(4.5)undecane-2,4-di one; and tetrakis-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinebutane carbonate. Other suitable hindered amine compounds are commercially available as MARK LA57, MARK LA62 and MARK LA67 all the trademarks of Adeka-Argus Chemical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan).
Suitable thermochromic materials may contain an acid-responsive chromogenic substance and an acidic substance. Suitable acid-responsive chromogenic substances may include triphenylmethanephthalide compounds, phthalide compounds, phthalan compounds, acyl-leucomethylene blue compounds, fluoran compounds, triphenylmethane compounds, diphenylmethane compounds, spiropyran compounds, and the like. Other suitable acid-responsive chromogeneic substances include 3,6-dimethoxyfluoran; 3,6-dibutoxyfluoran; 3-diethylamino-6,8-dimethylfluoran; 3-chloro-6-phenylaminofluoran; 3-diethylamino-6-methyl-7-chlorofluoran; 3-diethylamino-7,8-benzofluoran; 2-anilino-3-methyl-6-diethylaminofluoran; 3,3′,3″-trisp-dimethyl amino phenylphthalide, 3,3′-bis p-dimethyl amino phenyl phthalide; 3-diethylamino-7-phenyl amino fluoran; 3,3-bis p-diethylaminophenyl-6-dimethyl amino phthalide; 3,4-diethylamino phenyl-3,1-ethyl-2-methylindol-3-ylphthalide; 3,4-diethylamino-2-methylphenyl-3,1,2-dimethylindol-3-ylphthalide; and 2′,2-chloroanilino-6′-dibutylamino spiro phthalido-3,9′-xanthene. Suitable acidic substances include 1,2,3-benzotriazole compounds, phenol compounds, thiourea compounds, oxo-aromatic carboxylic acids, and the like. Specific examples of acidic compounds include 5-butylbenzotriazole; bis benzotriazole-5-methane; phenol; nonylphenol; bisphenol A; bisphenol F; 2,2′-biphenol; beta-naphthol; 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene; alkyl p-hydroxybenzoates, phenol resin oligomer, and the like. The thermochromic materials may be used with a solvent. The use of a solvent may render the material responsive to change in temperature with greater sensitivity and definition. Suitable solvents may include alcohols; alcohol-acrylonitrile adducts; azomethine compounds; esters; and the like. Among specific examples of the solvent are decyl alcohol; lauryl alcohol; myristyl alcohol; cetyl alcohol; stearyl alcohol; behenyl alcohol; lauryl alcohol-acrylonitrile adduct; myristyl alcohol-acrylonitrile adduct; stearyl alcohol-acrylonitrile adduct; benzylidene-p-toluidine; benzylidene-butylamine; octyl caprate; decyl caprate; myristyl caprylate; decyl laurate; lauryl laurate; myristyl laurate; decyl myristate; lauryl myristate; cetyl myristate; lauryl palmitate; cetyl palmitate; stearyl palmitate; cetyl p-t-butylbenzoate; stearyl 4-methoxybenzoate; dilauryl thiodipropionate; dimyristyl thiodipropionate; stearyl benzoate; benzyl stearate; dibenzyl thiodipropionate; distearyl thiodipropionate; benzyl benzoate; and glycerol trilaurate.
Intrinsically thermochromic materials may be used in the thermochromic element in the color-tunable light-emitting device. Intrinsically thermochromic materials include chromophores that are chemically altered on heating without the need for an external reagent, and which change color in the process. Thermochromic colors including Fast Yellow Gold Orange, Vermillion, Brilliant Rose, Pink, Magenta, Fast Blue, Artic Blue, Brilliant Green, Fast Black, Green Brown and mixtures of the foregoing may be used in the thermochromic element. Rylene dyes may be employed in the thermochromic element. Another exemplary thermochromic material includes a colorless electron donating color-former capable of forming color upon reacting with an electron accepting acid compound and an aromatic hydroxy ester. A thermochromic material exhibiting a sharp and reversible metachromation at temperatures within a range of from about −40 degrees Celsius to about 80 degrees Celsius, formed from an electron donating chromatic organic compound, a compound containing a phenolic hydroxyl group, a compound selected from the group consisting of higher aliphatic monovalent alcohols and a compound selected from the group consisting of higher aliphatic monovalent acid alcohol esters can also be used as the thermochromic element.
Reversible thermochromic pigments that change color in the presence of diaminoalkane activators may be used as the thermochromic element. Suitable dyes that can be employed in making the pigments include 6-dimethylamino-3,3-bisdimethyl aminopheny-1,1,3-H-isobenzofuranone crystal violet lactone; 2′-anilino-6-diethylamino-3-methylfluoran; 2′-dibenzylamino-6′-diethylaminofluoran; 3,3-bis-1-butyl-2-methyl-1-H-indol-3-yl-1,3-H-isobenzofuranone; 3,4-dimethyl aminophenyl-3-(N,N′-bis-4-octylphenyl aminophthalide; 2,4,8,10-tetraiodo-3,9-dihydroxy-6-3′,4′,5′,6′-tetrachlorophenyl-2-phthalidoxanthenone Rose Bengal lactone; 3,3-bis-4′-hydroxyl-3′-methyl-5′-dicarboxy methylamino methylphenyl isobenzofuran-3-one o-cresol phthalein complexone; 3,3-bis sodium-3′-sulfonato-4′-hydroxyphenyl-4,5,6,7-tetrabromo isobenzofuran-3-one sulfobromo naphthalein sodium salt; 3,3-bis-3′,5′-dibromo-4-hydroxyl phenyl isobenzofuran-3-one tetrabromo phenol phthalein bromocresol green thymol phthalein. These pigments may be used in thermochromic elements capable of modulating an exceptionally wide range of color inputs, thereby providing even greater color control of the light output from the color-tunable light-emitting devices.
Other reversible thermochromic materials may include an electron donor color-former; a sulfide, sulfoxide or sulfone containing a hydroxy phenyl group; and a chemical compound selected from alcohols, esters, ethers, ketones, carboxylic acids or acid amides, that chromatizes very brightly and in a dense color, generating a change of chromic hue colored—colorless within a narrow temperature range and providing a stable thermochromatism on a long term basis can also be employed in the thermochromic element. Alternately, a reversible thermochromic composition containing a diazarhodamine lactone derivative as an electron-donating color-developing organic compound, an electron-accepting compound, and a reaction medium for causing a reversible electron exchange reaction between the components in a specified temperature range may be used. This reversible thermochromic composition develops clear reddish color in its colored state, and becomes colorless in its colorless state, and is remarkably free of residual color. Still other reversible thermochromic compounds include bridged phthalides and sulfinate esters.
Additional thermochromic compositions known in the art can also be employed in the thermochromic element of the color-tunable light-emitting devices. In one instance, the thermochromic composition includes an electron donating chromogeneic organic compound, an electron accepting compound and at least one desensitizer selected from among diphenylamine derivatives and at least one desensitizer selected from among carbazole derivatives. Another example of a thermochromic composition includes a colorant in a binder and an activator that causes the thermochromic colorant to change color at a temperature first than the temperature at which the colorant would undergo a color change in the absence of the activator. In one specific example, the thermochromic colorant is folic acid and the activator is an acid that has a pK of less that 4.2. Yet another suitable thermochromic composition provides a thermochromic composition including an electron-donating chromogeneic material, a 1,2,3-triazole compound, a weakly basic, sparingly soluble azomethine or carboxylic acid salt, and an alcohol, amide or ester solvent. Other examples of thermochromic compositions include combinations of at least one color-former and at least one Lewis acid in a polymer mixture. Such compositions reversibly change appearance from substantially transparent to substantially non-transparent above a first critical solution temperature. Another exemplary composition includes at least one electron-donating organic chromogenic compound, at least one compound serving as a color developing material and selected from thiourea and derivatives thereof, guanidine and derivatives thereof, benzothiazole, and benxothiazolyl derivatives, and at least one compound serving as a desensitizer selected from the group consisting of alcohols, esters, ketones, ethers, acid amides, carboxylic acids, and hydrocarbons.
Passive light transformative elements employed in certain embodiments of the color-tunable light-emitting devices may include color filters and phosphors. A suitable color filter may be a sheet of dyed glass, gelatin, or plastic which absorbs certain colors and permits better rendition of others.
Another suitable passive light transformative element may include one or more phosphors. A phosphor exhibits the phenomenon of phosphorescence. Phosphorescence may be defined as sustained light emission following an initial exposure to light. This is sometimes referred to as “glowing without further stimulus”. Suitable phosphors may include one or more transition metal compounds or rare earth compounds. The term “transition metal” refers to an element in the d-block of the periodic table, including zinc and scandium. This corresponds to periodic table groups 3 to 12, inclusive. Compounds of the “inner transition elements” from the lanthanide and actinide series where the inner f orbital is filled as atomic number increases may also be used as the phosphor. The inner transition elements are made up of the elements from cerium Atomic No. 58 to lutetium Atomic No. 71 and thorium Atomic No. 90 to Lawrencium Atomic No. 103. Suitable rare earth compounds include oxides of the elements in the lanthanide series that include actinium, thorium, protactinium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium and lawrencium.
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In one embodiment, the color-tunable light-emitting device may include a first light-emitting element, a second light-emitting element, a passive light transformative element and at least one light transmissive element, wherein the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element emit light at differing wavelengths. In one embodiment, the color-tunable light-emitting device may include at least one active light transformative element.
The transmission of the electrochromic elements can be tuned by varying the applied voltage bias. The perceived color is a combination of the unmodulated light 72 emerging directly from the device and modulated light 74, said modulated light being modulated by one or more of the light transformative elements. Green modulated light is indicated in
The reflective elements that can be employed in certain embodiments include but are not limited to mirrors and aluminum film. Mirrors may include highly reflective metallic foils, or a metal film on a glass or a plastic substrate.
A device is provided in one embodiment of the invention. The device includes at least one light transmissive element, a plurality of light transmissive organic electronic devices, and at least one light transmissive thin film transistor. The light transmissive thin film transistor includes carbon nanotubes. The plurality of light transmissive organic electronic devices and the light transmissive thin film transistor are secured to the light transmissive element.
In one embodiment, the light transmissive element and the light transmissive organic electronic devices may be the same or similar to that discussed above. The light transmissive thin film transistor has four components, like the TFT discussed above. The components include a source electrode, a drain electrode, a gate electrode, and a conducting channel. At least one of these four components, besides the conducting channel, includes at least one carbon nanotube network. A carbon nanotube transistor can be employed where a carbon nanotube network provides the source and drain, the conducting channel and the gate electrode; or a carbon nanotube network used for the source and drain; and a carbon nanotube network used for the conducting channel; or a carbon nanotube network used for the source and drain; and a carbon nanotube network used for the gate; or a carbon nanotube network used for the gate; and a carbon nanotube network used for the conducting channel.
The carbon nanotubes used to make the networks can be undoped, or can be doped for p-type transistors and n-type transistors. The networks may include two differing species, such as carbon nanotubes and polyaniline to provide different conducting properties; the networks with differing densities at different locations on the substrate may be used; the networks can be patterned on the surface to provide some areas that are covered some areas that are not covered. Other nanomaterials may be employed in conjunction with or as a replacement for the carbon nanotubes. Suitable nanomaterials include nano-wires having dimensions less than 900 nanometers in diameter (the diameter is the average of the cross-sectional width) and having an aspect ratio exceeding 10. Suitable nanomaterials may include single element nano-wires made from silicon, from a combination of Group III-V materials Ga, In, N, P, As and Sb, from a combination of Group II-VI materials Zn, Cd, Hg, S, So and Te, from metal oxides CdO, Ga2O3, In2O3, MnO, NiO, PbO, Sb2O3, SnO2, and ZnO, from metal chalcogenides Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ag, Sn, Pb and Bi. Other suitable nanomaterials may include conducting polymers polyanilino, polypyrrole, and polythiophene. And, yet other suitable nanomaterials may include metals and alloys.
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A device is provided in one embodiment of the invention that includes a light transmissive element, a nano-wire light-emitting device nano-LED, and a light transmissive controller communicating with the nano-wire light-emitting device. The nano-wire light-emitting device and the light transmissive controller, are supported by the light transmissive element.
With regard to the nano-LED, it may include an electrically conductive element and a light-emitting nano-wire device including at least one p-n or p-i-n diode. The electrically conductive element may be light transmissive. Suitable materials that may be used as the light transmissive element may be the same as or similar to the light transmissive element described above.
In one embodiment, the light emitting nanowire device is a p-n diode or multiple p-n diodes. In a light-emitting p-n diode, light emits at interface of p-type segment and n-type segment. Some light emitted along the axis of the nanowire may absorb by the nanowire. In another embodiment, the light emitting nanowire device is a p-i-n diode or multiple p-i-n diodes. In a p-i-n diode, light emits from the i-layer. The i-layer is a quantum well or multiple quantum wells. P segment and n-segment in the nanowire have larger bandgap than the i-layer and therefore are transparent to the emitted light along the nanowire axis.
In one embodiment, the electrically conductive element may include a single component including any useful conductive material.
In another embodiment, the electrically conductive element may additionally include a light transmissive substrate wherein the conductive material may be disposed on the light transmissive substrate to provide the electrically conductive element. Suitable materials that may be used as the light transmissive substrate may be the same as or similar to the light transmissive element described above. Suitable materials that may be used as the electrically conductive material may be the same as or similar to the conductive material used in the source/drain electrodes described above. Suitable light transmissive controllers may include the light transmissive controllers described above.
In one embodiment, the light-emitting nano-wire device may include multiple nano-wire light-emitting diodes. Each may include a structure of a p-type semiconducting segment and an n-type semiconducting segment. Optionally, an undoped light-emitting segment is inserted between p-type segment and n-type segment. Suitable materials that may be used as the light-emitting nano-wires include a semiconductor light-emitting material selected from III-V or II-VI semiconductors with a direct bandgap. Suitable semiconductor materials may include gallium nitride, zinc selenide, gallium arsenide, or zinc oxide.
In one embodiment, the light-emitting nano-wire device may include a cover layer disposed on the electrically conductive element. The cover substrate may provide a more robust light-emitting nano-wire device. Suitable materials that may be used as the cover substrate may be the same as or similar to the material described above for the light transmissive element.
In one embodiment, the cover substrate may have a surface plated with a metal layer. Suitable materials that may be used as metal layer include Al, Ag, Au, Ba, Ca, In, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Pb, Sr, Sn, Sc, Y, Zn, Zr, and elements of the lanthanide series. Other suitable materials may include metal alloys, such as Ag—Mg alloy, Al—Li alloy, In—Mg alloy, Al—Ca alloy, Li—Al alloy, and Ca—Ga alloy. In one embodiment, the metal layer on the cover substrate and the electrically conductive element may serve as electrode conductors.
In various embodiments, the nano-wire light-emitting diodes may be grown using a vapor phase-liquid phase-solid phase (VLS) growth technique or a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth technique.
In one embodiment, a layer of a metal catalyst may be coated on the surface of the electrically conductive element and the coated element may be placed in an oven at a temperature of about 400 degrees Celsius to about 700 degrees Celsius resulting in the formation of nano sized spots on the metal coating. This may be followed by passing vapors of a semiconductor light-emitting material over the metal coating resulting in the growth of nano-wire light-emitting diodes on the surface of the electrically conductive element. In one embodiment, the light-emitting nano-wires may be grown on the cover substrate in a similar manner as described above. Suitable materials that may be used as the metal catalyst may include gold and a eutectic made of tin, antimony, lead, silicon, germanium, and/or bismuth. In one embodiment, the thickness of the layer of metal catalyst is in a range of from about 5 nanometers to about 50 nanometers. In another embodiment, the catalyst may be uniformly dispersed catalytic nanoparticles.
Optionally, an insulation layer support post may be disposed between the light transmissive conductive element and the cover substrate for supporting the light transmissive conductive element and the cover substrate. In one embodiment, the insulation layer support post may be disposed on the light transmissive conductive substrate. In one embodiment, the insulation layer support post may be disposed on the cover substrate. Suitable materials that may be used to make the insulation layer support post include silica and a heat-proof light-resistant material.
In one embodiment, the light-emitting nano-wire device include nano-wire light-emitting diodes which may form a light-emitting block, and a single light-emitting block or multiple light-emitting blocks may form a planar light source. In one embodiment, the nano-wire light-emitting diodes may emit rays in a wavelength region of about 350 nanometers to 395 nanometers (ultraviolet rays) in a wavelength region of about 395 nanometers to about 420 nanometers (violet rays), or in a wavelength region of about 420 nanometers to about 430 nanometers (yellow rays), or in a wavelength region of about 430 nanometers to about 470 nanometers (blue rays).
In one embodiment, if the light-emitting nano-wire device emits blue rays, the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting nano-wire devicemay be coated with a yellow fluorescent material to produce two-wavelength white rays, or may be coated with a red and a green fluorescent material to produce three-wavelength white rays.
In one embodiment, the light-emitting surface is coated with green or red fluorescent material, so that when the light-emitting nano-wires emits blue rays the green fluorescent material may produce green rays, and the red fluorescent material may produce red rays, and the places not coated with green or red fluorescent material may produce blue rays, thereby forming a full color display with red, blue and green colors.
In one embodiment, if the light-emitting nano-wire device emits violet rays, the light-emitting surface may be coated with red, blue or green fluorescent material, so as to produce red, blue or green rays, thereby forming a full color display with red, blue and green colors, or the light-emitting surface may be coated with mixed red, blue and green fluorescent material, so as to produce white rays. In one embodiment, when the nano-LEDs emit violet rays, suitable materials that may be employed as the red fluorescent material may include 3.5MgO.0.5MgF2 GeO2:Mn or 6MgO.AS2O5:Mn, the blue fluorescent material may include ZnS:Cu, Al or Ca2MgSi2O7Cl, and the green fluorescent material may include BaMgAl10O17:Eu or (Sr, Ca, Ba Mg)10(PO4)6Cl2:Eu.
In one embodiment, when the light-emitting nano-wire device emits ultraviolet rays, the light-emitting surface may be coated with red, blue or green fluorescent material, so as to produce red, blue or green rays, thereby forming a full color display with red, blue and green colors, or the light-emitting surface may be coated with mixed red, blue and green fluorescent material, so as to produce white rays. In one embodiment, when the nano-wire light-emitting device emits ultraviolet rays, suitable materials that may be employed as the red fluorescent material may include Y2O2S2:Eu, the blue fluorescent material may include BaMgAl10O17:Eu or (Sr, Ca, Ba, Mg)10(PO4)6Cl2:Eu, and the green fluorescent material may include BaMgAl10O17:Eu, Mn.
If the light-emitting nano-wire device emits blue light, and the nano-wire eutectic bonding has a lower temperature, the light-emitting nano-wire device may use the structure such that the heat-proof light-resistant layer serves as the support post.
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An article is provided in one embodiment of the invention. The article includes a plurality of devices. The plurality of devices includes at least a first device and a second device. Each of the first and second devices have surfaces that contact each other to define a stack. The light-emitting device in the first device includes a red, green or blue light-emitting element, and the light-emitting device in the second device includes a red, green or blue light-emitting element. A proviso is that the light-emitting element of the second light-emitting device differs from the light-emitting element of the first light-emitting device. A group of pixels of the light emitting from the article, as visualized by a viewer, is a voxel that can be a color defined by the on/off state of the light-emitting device layers or by the relative power/light output. In one embodiment, at least one of the light-emitting devices employed is a nano-wire LED.
In one embodiment, the article may further include a third layer in the stack including a red, green or blue light-emitting element with the proviso that the light-emitting element of the third layer differs from the light-emitting element of the first and second light-emitting device's light-emitting elements. In one embodiment, the layers in the article are arranged relative to each other so that the light having the most transmittable wavelength is transmitted from deeper in the stack.
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In one embodiment, the article of the invention may include additional layers such as one or more of a barrier layer, an abrasion resistant layer, an adhesion layer, a chemically resistant layer, a photoluminescent layer, a radiation-absorbing layer, a radiation reflective layer, a planarizing layer, an optical diffusing layer, and a light management film.
The barrier layer may include a graded composite barrier coating having an organic component and an inorganic component may be used with a suitable OLED layer. The barrier coating may have greater than 50 percent light transmission of light in the visible wavelength. In one embodiment, the barrier coating light transmission level may be in a range of from about 50 percent to about 60 percent, from about 60 percent to about 70 percent, from about 70 percent to about 80 percent, from about 80 percent to about 90 percent, or greater than about 90 percent transmission of light in the visible wavelength.
A suitable graded composite barrier coating may be the reaction product of reacting plasma species that are deposited onto a substrate surface. Organic coating materials may include carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and optionally other minor elements, such as sulfur, nitrogen, silicon, etc., depending on the types of reactants. Suitable reactants that result in organic compositions in the coating are straight or branched alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, aldehydes, ethers, alkylene oxides, and aromatics having up to about 15 carbon atoms. Suitable inorganic coating materials may include an aluminide, boride, carbide, nitride, oxide, or silicide of an element from Groups IIA, IIIA, IVA, VA, VIA, VIIA, IB, and IIB; metals of Groups IIIB, IVB, and VB of the periodic table of elements. Other suitable inorganic materials may include an aluminide, boride, carbide, nitride, oxide, or silicide of one or more rare-earth metals.
Light management films may be used in the article to help mask physical defects, such as for example, specks, lint, and scratches, and also defects that may be observed due to optical phenomena. The light management films provide control over the direction of light, transmitted and/or reflected. The films may be used to increase brightness or to reduce glare in articles.
Defects including wet-out and Newton's rings occur when the adjacent surfaces of different layers are smooth and flat. Such defects may be reduced by introducing randomized characteristics or patterns on the layer surface whereby the height of at least one of the film surfaces vary in a random fashion.
Suitable light enhancement films may be flexible or rigid depending on the application. Suitable materials that may be used to prepare the light enhancement films include polymeric materials, such as, for example, acrylics and polycarbonates having nominal indices of refraction of 1.493 and 1.586, respectively. Other useful polymers are polypropylene, polyurethane, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and the like. The particular polymeric material selected is not significant to the invention hereof, so long as it provides the light management function.
The light management films may be suitably designed based on the desired effect. The randomized height variations in light management films may be introduced in the form of prisms/facets formed in any optically useful shape, including lenticular arrays, prisms with rounded peaks and/or valleys, or curved facets, as represented by layers 272 in
Securing or disposing the various layers including the device of the invention may be carried out using known techniques such as spin coating, dip coating, reverse roll coating, wire-wound or MAYER rod coating, direct and offset gravure coating, slot die coating, blade coating, hot melt coating, curtain coating, knife over roll coating, extrusion, air knife coating, spray, rotary screen coating, multilayer slide coating, coextrusion, meniscus coating, comma and microgravure coating, lithographic processes, langmuir processes, and flash evaporation, vapor deposition, plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition “PECVD”, radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition “RFPECVD”, expanding thermal-plasma chemical-vapor deposition “ETPCVD”, electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition ECRPECVD”, inductively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition “ICPECVD”, and sputtering techniques including reactive sputtering.
Some devices according to embodiments of the invention may be flexible and transparent.
EXAMPLESThe following examples are intended only to illustrate methods and embodiments in accordance with the invention, and as such should not be construed as imposing limitations upon the clauses. Unless specified otherwise, all ingredients are commercially available from such common chemical suppliers as Alpha Aesar, Inc. (Ward Hill, Mass.), Spectrum Chemical Mfg. Corp. (Gardena, Calif.), and the like.
Example 1 EL Material SynthesisPoly((N,N-ethylmethyl aminomethyl)styrene) (PS-Amine) is synthesized as follows: A solution of an isomeric mixture of poly(3-chloromethyl)styrene and poly(4-chloromethylstyrene) (2 grams, 13.2 millimoles) and N-ethylmethylamine (CAS No. 624-78-2, 11.8 grams, 200 millimoles) in 25 milliliters of toluene is stirred at room temperature for 5 days. The reaction mixture, which is a slurry containing precipitated solids is transferred to a separatory funnel and diluted with toluene. The organic phase is washed twice with 1 weight percent aqueous NaOH solution, twice with water, and the solvent is removed under vacuum. The tacky, white solid residue is dissolved in methanol and precipitated into water in a blender. The collected solid is air-dried, and then dried in a vacuum oven at 50 degrees Celsius to afford the reaction product of poly(N,N-ethylmethyl amino methyl)styrene.
Example 2 A Transparent Organic Light-Emitting Device FabricationStep 1: Preparation of a Green-Color Organic Light-Emitting Device (Green OLED).
Glass pre-coated with Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) (Applied Films) is used as the substrate. A layer (ca. 60 nanometers) of poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophene/polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) (BAYTRON® commercially available from Bayer Corporation (City, State), is deposited onto ultraviolet-ozone treated ITO substrates via spin-coating and then baked for 1 hour at 180 degrees Celsius in air. A layer (ca. 70 nanometers) of a green light-emitting polymer (LEP) (LUMATION® 1304 commercially available from Dow Chemical (City, State) is then spin-coated atop the PEDOT layer. Then the samples are transferred to an argon filled glovebox nominally containing less than 1 parts per million of oxygen and moisture. Next, a layer of PS-amine (ca. about 5 nanometers to 8 nanometers) is spin-coated atop the green LEP from a solution of PS-amine in 1-butanol and baked for 30 minutes at 90 degrees Celsius in air. An ITO layer (ca. 110 nanometers) is sputtered onto the PS-amine layer surface using a CVC601 sputter tool at a base pressure of 1×10−6 torr to provide a green OLED. The ITO DC magnetron sputtering is carried out at a pressure of 0.7 millimeter Torr, with 30 standard cubic centimeter of argon and 8.5 standard cubic centimeter of oxygen under a sputter power density of 18.3 watts per square inch.
The samples are electrically grounded, unheated, and placed 1 inch away from sputter target. To achieve uniform ITO coatings, the substrates are kept constantly rotating at 4 seconds per cycle throughout the deposition process. The ITO layer is deposited in 11 minutes, corresponding to a deposition rate of ca. 1.7 Angstrom per second. The ITO coatings so deposited exhibit a sheet resistance of about 45 Ohm per square centimeter.
Optical transmittance is measured with an USB2000 Miniature Fiber Optic Spectrometer commercially available from Ocean Optics (Dunedin, Fla. 34698, USA). The device performance is characterized by measuring current-voltage-luminance (I-V-L) characteristics and electroluminescence spectra. A photodiode calibrated with a luminance meter (MINOLTA LS-110) was used to measure the luminance (in units of candela per square meter, cd/m2). A plot of efficiency (measured in candela per ampere, cd/A) as a function of current density (measured in milliamperes per square centimeter, mA/cm2) is obtained for each device from its I-V-L data.
Step 2: Preparation of a ZnO-Based TFT.
The ZnO-based TFT is fabricated using a bottom gate configuration. A borosilicate glass precoated with 200 nanometers thick ITO film and a 220 nanometers thick atomic layer deposition (ATO) film, obtained from Planar Systems, is used as the substrate. The ITO layer on the substrate having an average transmittance of 85 percent, a resistivity of 2.3×10−4 Ohm centimeter, a carrier concentration of 7.7×1020 centimeter−3, and a mobility of 36 centimeter2/Volt-seconds6, serves as the gate electrode. The ATO film composed of a superlattice of alternating layers of Al2O3 and TiO2, serves as the gate insulator. The ATO has a measured capacitance of about 60 nanoFaradays/centimeter2 with a dielectric constant of about 16ε0. First, a ZnO film 100 nanometers thick is deposited by sputtering on the precoated borosilicate glass using a RF (13.56 MHz) magnetron system. Next, the drain electrode and source electrode, both 300 nanometers thick ITO layers, are patterned on the borosilicate glass using the etching technique.
The resultant thin film bottom-gate type ZnO TFT shows good device performance of about 1 square centimeter/volts.second, on-off ratio of greater than 105, and a gate voltage swing of 4 volt/decade. The TFT also shows a transparency of about 80 percent at a wavelength of 550 nanometers of visible light.
Step 3: Preparation of a Light-Emitting Device
A layer of glass 500 nanometers thick and having a percentage transparency of 90 at a wavelength of 550 nanometers is the light transmissive layer. The green-OLED prepared in step 1 and the ZnO-based TFT prepared in step 2 are both secured to the glass to form a first layer device. A second layer of glass is disposed over the first layer of the device. A second green-OLED secures to the second glass layer. The active emitting-areas of the two OLEDs overlap. The TFT is operably coupled with both the green-OLEDs. The assembly is aligned such that the color emitted consists of the light emitted by both the OLEDs based on the on-off condition of the TFT controller. The edges of the assembly were then sealed with the NORLAND ADHESIVE to provide mechanical integrity.
The embodiments described herein are examples of compositions, structures, systems and methods having elements corresponding to the elements of the invention recited in the claims. This written description may enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use embodiments having alternative elements that likewise correspond to the elements of the invention recited in the claims. The scope of the invention thus includes compositions, structures, systems and methods that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, and further includes other structures, systems and methods with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims. While only certain features and embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes may occur to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art. The appended claims cover all such modifications and changes.
Claims
1. A device, comprising:
- a light transmissive element;
- a nano-wire light-emitting device; and
- a light transmissive controller communicating with the nano-wire light-emitting device;
- wherein the nano-wire light-emitting device and the light transmissive controller are supported by the light transmissive element.
2. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the light transmissive element has a percentage transparency of greater than about 50 percent to light in the visible wavelength range.
3. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the light transmissive element comprises quartz glass or borosilicate glass.
4. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the light transmissive element comprises an organic polymer.
5. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the light transmissive controller is a transistor having a percentage transparency of greater than about 50 percent to light in the visible wavelength range
6. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the nano-wire light-emitting device comprises:
- an electrically conductive element that is light transmissive; and
- a light-emitting nano-wire in electrical communication with the electrically conductive element, wherein the light-emitting nano-wire comprises a p-n diode or a p-i-n diode, or a plurality of p-n or p-i-n diodes.
7. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the i-layer comprises a quantum well or a plurality of quantum wells.
8. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the electrically conductive element comprises a metal or an electrically conducting polymer.
9. The device as defined in claim 8, wherein the metal comprises aluminum, barium, calcium, chromium, gold, silver, nickel, palladium, platinum, titanium, copper, or tungsten.
10. The device as defined in claim 8, wherein the metal is a metal oxide.
11. The device as defined in claim 10, wherein the metal oxide comprises an n-type conductor.
12. The device as defined in claim 11, wherein the n-type conductor comprises indium-tin oxide.
13. The device as defined in claim 10, wherein the metal oxide comprises oxides of zinc, tin, or lanthanum.
14. The device as defined in claim 8, wherein the electrically conducting polymer comprises polyacetylene, polypyrrole, polythiophene, polyaniline, polyfluorene, polynaphthalene, poly-p-phenylene sulfide, or poly-p-phenylene vinylene.
15. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the electrically conductive element further comprises a substrate that is light transmissive.
16. The device as defined in claim 15, wherein the light transmissive substrate has a percentage transparency of greater than about 50 percent to light in the visible wavelength range.
17. The device as defined in claim 15, wherein the light transmissive substrate comprises quartz glass or borosilicate glass.
18. The device as defined in claim 15, wherein the light transmissive substrate comprises an organic polymer.
19. The device as defined in claim 15, wherein the electrically conductive element has a percentage transparency of greater than about 50 percent to light in the visible wavelength range.
20. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the nano-wire light-emitting device includes multiple light-emitting nano-wire diodes each including a structure of a p-type semiconducting segment, an n-type semiconducting segment and a light-emitting layer.
21. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the nano-wire light-emitting device comprises a semi-conductor light-emitting material selected from the group consisting of gallium nitride, zinc selenide, gallium arsenide, and zinc oxide.
22. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the nano-wire light-emitting device further comprises a cover substrate disposed on the electrically conductive element.
23. The device as defined in claim 22, wherein each of the nano-wire light-emitting device is grown on the electrically conductive element or on the cover substrate.
24. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the light transmissive controller is connected to at least two nano-wire light-emitting devices.
25. An article comprising a plurality of devices as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices comprises at least a first device and a second device, each of the first and second devices having contacting surfaces defining a stack, wherein the light-emitting device in the first device comprises a red, green or blue light-emitting element, and the light-emitting device in the second device comprises a red, green or blue light-emitting element with the proviso that the light-emitting element of the second light-emitting device differs from the light-emitting element of the first light-emitting device.
26. The article as defined in claim 25, further comprising a third layer in the stack comprising a red, green or blue light-emitting element with the proviso that the light-emitting element of the third layer, the light-emitting element of the second.
27. The article as defined in claim 25, wherein a pixel visualizable by a viewer is a color defined by the on/off state of the light-emitting devices layers.
28. The article as defined in claim 25, wherein the each of the plurality of devices are arranged relative to each other so that the most transmittable wavelength is transmitted from deeper in the stack.
29. The article as defined in claim 25, further comprising at least one of a barrier layer, an abrasion resistant layer, an adhesion layer, a chemically resistant layer, a photoluminescent layer, a radiation-absorbing layer, a radiation reflective layer, a planarizing layer, an optical diffusing layer, or a light management film.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 22, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 16, 2008
Patent Grant number: 7652280
Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY (Schenectady, NY)
Inventors: Yun Li (Niskayuna, NY), Jie Liu (Niskayuna, NY), Anping Zhang (Rexford, NY)
Application Number: 11/767,153
International Classification: H01L 29/06 (20060101);
